#APB Clemente Russo and Roman Golovashchenko rematch in vital APB Heavyweight contest

APB Milan June 2015

Milan, Italy will host the Heavyweight (91 kg) division of AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) on Friday night, as eight boxers compete in four crucial Cycle I Round 1 matches, which can be watched live at 20:30 (GMT +2) at https://www.youtube.com/user/AIBAproboxingTV.

Number one ranked Italian icon Clemente Russo is the main event attraction, and the two-time AIBA World Champion rematches Ukraine’s Roman Golovashchenko in front of his home fans.

Their first meeting was the opening match in APB for both competitors, and Russo reigned supreme after he knocked out Golovashchenko in the fifth round.

Russo later competed in the Heavyweight Inaugural Title Match against Aleksei Egorov, but lost to his Russian rival for the second time in APB in a desperately close contest.

To give himself any chance to battle Egorov again and finally defeat his foe, the two-time Olympic silver medalist will have to beat Golovashchenko once more in Milan.

Golovashchenko has impressed in APB thus far despite a 1-3 losing record, but after being stopped so emphatically in their earlier meeting, the Ukrainian will need to put aside fears of a repeat performance and assert his dominance early.

Questions surround Russo as well, because although he can outperform and finish any man he steps into the ring with, he has lost twice in APB which will concern a man so used to winning.

Can he return to the imperious form which has made him one of the most feared boxers in boxing? Or will Golovashchenko learn from his mistakes from their first meeting and enjoy a career best victory?

This contest will be held over eight rounds, which some believe will favour Golovashchenko who has a longer-format experience from his professional career, yet Russo dominated the latter stages of his title match with Egorov, and has always enjoyed excellent stamina.

The winner of the Russo/Golovashchenko battle will move onwards to Round 2 where they will meet the victor of Chouaib Bouloudintas vs Anton Pinchuk, who compete on the undercard in Milan.

Both Bouloudintas and Pinchuk have won three APB matches against just one defeat, and their styles should gel well to make a very exciting contest.

Two more Heavyweight bouts will feature in Milan, beginning with the undefeated Marko Calic vs London 2012 Olympic Games bronze medalist Tervel Pulev, while Argentina’s Yamil Peralta battles APB debutant David Graf.